Has anybody here furloughed themselves yet?

[jamesbrown]

You are eligible. Your reserves don't matter - this is to stop Corona causing you to eat into them as much as it is doing.

You can keep telling yourself this, but the idea that these schemes won't be litigated after the fact is preposterous. There is limited scheme guidance, plus what ministers are saying informally, which is that these schemes should be used on the basis of need. They are not intended to support you issuing dividends or not running down company reserves. If you have a 90k warchest, you don't need the scheme, end of story. So you shouldn't use it. Also, if you were out of work long before the lockdown, that is another grey area. The comparable situation is when an employee was unemployed prior to the lockdown; they are entitled to UC (subject to other criteria) - they cannot claim from the CJRS. So simes is doing exactly the right thing.

[CheeseSlice]

Wondering whether the costs associated with 'looking' (travel/hotel expenses) are still claimable while the 'looker' is furloughed? Can I still bang the train fare to London and hotel costs on the company credit card?

Have you not been watching the news, have you been outside at all?
We're all under house-arrest... I mean 'lockdown'.

Expect a difficult conversation with the transport police, and a £60 fine for not having a good enough reason to be travelling.
And, no.. you can't expense the £60 fine either

[oliverson]

Be sensible. What travelling are you expecting to do while on lockdown?

Obviously talking about when travel restrictions are eased.

[jamed]

You can keep telling yourself this, but the idea that these schemes won't be litigated after the fact is preposterous. There is limited scheme guidance, plus what ministers are saying informally, which is that these schemes should be used on the basis of need. They are not intended to support you issuing dividends or not running down company reserves. If you have a 90k warchest, you don't need the scheme, end of story. So you shouldn't use it. Also, if you were out of work long before the lockdown, that is another grey area. The comparable situation is when an employee was unemployed prior to the lockdown; they are entitled to UC (subject to other criteria) - they cannot claim from the CJRS. So simes is doing exactly the right thing.

It's quite simple really. Read the government guidance and follow that. The guidance is actually very straightforward and not ambiguous at all. There is nothing in there about a profitability/reserve test to determine eligibility.

"If you cannot maintain your current workforce because your operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on that subsidised furlough pay.

This is a temporary scheme in place for 4 months starting from 1 March 2020, but it may be extended if necessary and employers can use this scheme anytime during this period. It is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. However, all employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus."

[oliverson]

Have you not been watching the news, have you been outside at all?
We're all under house-arrest... I mean 'lockdown'.

Expect a difficult conversation with the transport police, and a £60 fine for not having a good enough reason to be travelling.
And, no.. you can't expense the £60 fine either

see above but tbh, I'd trade a £ 60 fine for £ 750 a day anytime.

The lockdown has to end or be eased soon or the whole economy will disappear into a black hole. In a bid to save a few thousand unlucky folks who were likely to perish in the new few months due to existing conditions, we are hell bent on jettisoning a population of 66 million people and an economy that may never recover!!! This country needs proper leadership. Boris Johnson isn't that man, not anymore anyhow. Rant over.

[jamesbrown]

It's quite simple really. Read the government guidance and follow that. The guidance is actually very straightforward and not ambiguous at all. There is nothing in there about a profitability/reserve test to determine eligibility.

"If you cannot maintain your current workforce because your operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on that subsidised furlough pay.

This is a temporary scheme in place for 4 months starting from 1 March 2020, but it may be extended if necessary and employers can use this scheme anytime during this period. It is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. However, all employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus."

It’s quite simple really. You should read the guidance and listen to ministers. If you have 90k in reserves, you can easily maintain your current workforce. How many years of PAYE at 80% up to 2.5k does this equate to?

[CheeseSlice]

It’s quite simple really. You should read the guidance and listen to ministers. If you have 90k in reserves, you can easily maintain your current workforce. How many years of PAYE at 80% up to 2.5k does this equate to?

ministers? you mean just one.. the 'culture secretary'. Hardly speaks for the Treasury or the chancellor.

Ask yourself this. Why isn't his view in the published guidance?

[jamesbrown]

ministers? you mean just one.. the 'culture secretary'. Hardly speaks for the Treasury or the chancellor.

Ask yourself this. Why isn't his view in the published guidance?

It is in the published guidance. Read above and answer this question: why you are unable to maintain your current workforce? If you have 90k in reserves, you clearly can. End of story.

[jamed]

It is in the published guidance. Read above and answer this question: why you are unable to maintain your current workforce? If you have 90k in reserves, you clearly can. End of story.

Try again.

"However, all employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus"

You don't seem to get it. Big profitable companies like CBRE, American law firms etc are furloughing employees because they are legally entitled too.

Don't try spread misinformation that a small contractor should be relying on their own reserves when multinational companies are legally accepting the handouts.

[simes]

You are eligible. Your reserves don't matter - this is to stop Corona causing you to eat into them as much as it is doing.

Looking for work doesn't generate any income, only doing work does - thus you are furloughed (or can be). "I'm looking" doesn't pay the mortgage.

I agree with this. Looking is a business cost and not revenue earning. Doing the work you've won is revenue earning.

When huge profitable companies which were/are making millions of profit and have millions in reserves are using the scheme to save costs and avoid drawing down on their reserves then you really need to think twice about ignoring the handout.

And I think the general consensus on here is that looking for work does not mean you cannot furlough yourself.

Ignoring the usual cretin who focuses on the irrelevant, many thanks for the above.

Can I just restate that, as I think I see it, MyCo IS still earning through the 2 x rentals. In effect, MyCo is therefore still 'working' and earning, and offering services.

For it to not be working and earning would mean both the rentals would have to stop paying.

Right / wrong, in peoples' opinions?

As for the 'looking for work', and from this link, I am looking at these words.

Check if you can claim for your employees' wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - GOV.UK

"Where furloughed directors need to carry out particular duties to fulfil the statutory obligations they owe to their company, they may do so provided they do no more than would reasonably be judged necessary for that purpose, i.e. they should not do work of a kind they would carry out in normal circumstances to generate commercial revenue or provides services to or on behalf of their company."

Looking at Jobserve and applying and (maybe) taking interviews would be just that - generating.